Happy Dance Time...

Wow, it’s hard to believe that I haven’t posted in over a month. I’ve wanted to post but each time I thought about sitting-down and putting pen-to-paper, my attention was diverted…and then I was off in a different direction. Between work and family visits there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of time left for writing or riding for that matter. Unfortunately, I think my mental health has suffered for it. I get a little anxious if I go without any saddle time for a while. Riding helps me clear my head and motivates me to work harder in other areas of my life. Riding calms my soul. 

Provided the weather isn’t too extreme on Friday, 11 October 2013, my soul should be doing a happy dance. I plan to start my Tour of Honor Bun Burner Extreme Iron Butt ride between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. If all goes as planned, I should cover the 1500+ miles in under 36 hours. I’ve mapped out a route that will take me from my house to the farthest Tour of Honor site in the state, the National Border Patrol Museum in El Paso, TX. Here’s an overview of my planned stops:

A. Home
B. Camp Hulen Historical Marker, Palacios, TX
C. USS Cavalla SSK-244, Seawolf Park, Galveston, TX
D. Gas Stop, Centerville, TX
E. Historic Aviation Memorial Museum, Tyler, TX
F. US Veterans Museum of Granbury, Granbury, TX
G. Cedar Park County Veterans Memorial, Cedar Park, TX
H. Gas Stop, Brady TX
I. Rest/Sleep Stop, San Angelo, TX
J. Andrews County Veterans Memorial, Andrews, TX
K. Gas Stop, Pecos, TX
L. Gas Stop, Van Horn, TX
M. National Border Patrol Museum, El Paso, TX

Given my bike’s 4.5 gallon tank, I’ll be getting gas at each Tour of Honor stop as well as the gas stops listed. The nice thing about having a smaller tank is you have an opportunity to stretch your legs more often but the downside is the more stops you make the more difficult it becomes to maintain a good average speed. I’m hoping I can improve my average speed between stops and possibly reduce my stop times to give me a little more wiggle room to complete the ride in the allotted 36 hours. As it stands now, if I don’t increase my speed averages and decrease stop times I’ll only have about 15 minutes to spare before running out of time. Let me know what you think of my detailed ride plan:

While I’d really like to accomplish my goal and earn an additional Iron Butt certification, safety will be my primary concern. I won’t push myself if I get tired and I’ll ride within my limits. I’m a little nervous about the hazards wildlife poses at night but will lower the risk of having a wildlife encounter by maintaining a slower speed and maintaining good situational awareness. At the end of the day, I’m riding for my personal enjoyment, not to earn a certificate.

If you’d like to “follow” me on this adventure, I’ll be using BubblerGPS and SpotWalla for tracking. You can check on my progress here. The SpotWalla map should initialize between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Unlike a SPOT tracker, my BubblerGPS app will only upload my location when I have a good cell phone signal so my “track” may appear a bit sporadic.

I’ll post a full ride report and pictures as soon as I can once I’m back. Until then, wish me luck and Godspeed. Gotta get ready for my Happy Dance…